Clearing the confusion on lifting the stay: Walker’s stay order will expire as originally scheduled next Wednesday

Aug 12, 2010

Ken Upton, senior staff attorney in Lambda Legal’s South Central Regional Office here in Dallas, has cleared up the confusion over Judge Vaughn Walker’s ruling on lifting the stay of his order overturning Proposition 8.

Upton explains, in a comment to an earlier Instant Tea post, that Walker has declined to extend the stay he issued last week, but instead to let it expire as originally scheduled on Wednesday, Aug. 18, at 5 p.m. PST.

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has the option to issue its own stay of Walker’s ruling against Prop 8. I have heard a rumor that I can’t even begin to confirm yet that the 9th Circuit isn’t likely to issue a stay. If that is how it turns out, same-sex couples will again be able to legally marry in California beginning next Wednesday.

The question still remains as to whether the Yes on 8 campaign — which unsuccessfully defended Prop 8 in Walker’s court — even as legal standing to appeal Walker’s ruling. The actual defendants in the case were Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Attorney General Jerry Brown, both of whom declined to defend the amendment and both of whom issued statements this week saying same-sex couples should be allowed to legally marry. Since the Yes on 8 people are actually only “defendant intervenors,” they might not have legal standing to appeal Walker’s decision, some experts have said.

I think the government has no place in marriage in the first place. It’s a religious function. There should be nothing but civil unions as far as government is concerned. The “Sanctity of Marriage” rap is a lot of hokey. It’s not the governments job to provide sanctity.

Bummer. I already had us registered at The Pleasure Chest. Maybe I should just gay marry this dude I’ve been living with the last 20 years. I just really liked the sound of Jack E. & Tammy E. Nash-Jett.